Personal Leadership Branding is not just about what others think of us. It is, perhaps, more importantly what we think of ourselves. It is difficult to get others to see us differently than we see ourselves. Oh, we can try to “put on” a persona that pretends to be something we are not. But “putting on” does not stop your internal voice from holding you back and keeping you down.
Words, even inside you head, are powerfully effective. For the many leaders I’ve worked with, there are certain words echoing inside their heads over and over that stir up negativity and self-doubt. In essence, these words are weapons in their arsenal of self-sabotage that hold them back and keep us small. The same is true for you.
- I’m DEFICIENT
- I’m INVISIBLE
- I’m TIMID
Just Three Words
Think of the impact these three words have, if believed and repeated, to hold you back and rob you of living the life that is in you to live.
Deficient. In this digital age where it is so easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others, feeling deficient in some way can get in our way. Feeling deficiency can cause us give up and not even try. On the other hand, it can also bring out perfectionistic demands on ourselves and others, making it hard for us to please ourselves or for others to please us. Both expressions of deficiency do not help us be effective in our lives.
Invisible. Feeling invisible can leave us feeling insignificant and unimportant. I have discovered that even the most confident leaders are frantically trying to prove their worth and importance because they feel a sense of invisibility. And those leaders who lack confidence often lose their voice because deep inside they think others are more important than they are and/or can contribute more effectively than they can.
Timid. We experience timidity when we are constantly unsure of our capabilities. Maybe something in our personality, such as shyness, brings this to the fore. Or, perhaps we are facing something we haven’t faced before and it is daunting to us. Feeling timid, intimidated, and unsure robs us of our capacity to challenge ourselves, create new capabilities and to move forward in our lives.
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Choose Different Words
We can choose to supplant the words that currently hold us back with words that cause us to move forward. So, what if we changed the belief we had about ourselves?
What if…
- Rather than DEFICIENT, you chose to notice where you are SUFFICIENT.
- Rather than INVISIBLE, you chose opportunities to make yourself VISIBLE in ways that are most meaningful to you and to those around you.
- Rather than TIMID, you chose to pay attention to how BRAVE you are in the face of your fears and insecurities.
You and I are more powerful than we know. We can use our Personal Leadership Brand to adopt words that invite us to take that power and use it for our good and for the benefit of others.
Now It’s Your Turn…
- What three words are holding you back?
- What three words could you activate and believe that would allow you to show up more powerfully in your own life?
- How might that change your life for the better?
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Take the next step in living more powerfully by downloading my FREE “4 Qs That Can Instantly Unlock the Power of Your Personal Leadership Brand”